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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23806732">Truth Hurts (So Good)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WantonWhale/pseuds/WantonWhale'>WantonWhale</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Afterglow algebra, Anal, Crack-adjacent, Data entendre, Enthusiastic Consent, Fingering, Gratuitous mussing of Thrawn’s hair, M/M, Not unlike Thrawn, Oral, Ozyly-esehemWHOA!, Porn With Plot, Power-bottom!Eli, Rimming, Service-top!Thrawn, Sexual tension as suffocating as a Vader Force-choke, Soup seduction, This is porn with plot but it's not a dissertation, Thrawn is just home now don't worry about it, Truth serum trope, actually the word plot is a stretch, flagrant abuse of Second Sight, implied medical/Force voyeurism</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:00:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,185</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23806732</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WantonWhale/pseuds/WantonWhale</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Concerned about the dangers posed by the Sith, Thrawn convinces Admiral Ar’alani that the effectiveness of Navigators’ Second Sight should be tested on Humans.<br/>Eli is volunteered and experiences one or two unfortunate side-effects:<br/>1. His left ear is itchy<br/>2. He can’t lie.<br/>Which, given that he’s been lying to Thrawn about one or two important things for a decade, is... <i>awkward</i>. Especially since Thrawn can never pass up an opportunity for more information, and decides to collect some much-coveted intel:<br/>Like what Eli <i>wants.</i></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Eli Vanto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>213</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Tension</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Complete, and scheduled to go up within the week barring purrgil and similar etcetera, etcetera...</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The sexual tension between Thrawn and Eli looms like the threat of the Sith over the Ascendancy.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The plotty-nonsense before the several thousand words of utterly self-indulgent smutty nonsense <s>gratuitousness evidenced by Thrawn-hair-mussing</s></p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Things had been…</p><p>
  <em>Awkward.</em>
</p><p>As much as Eli missed his mentor (and friend?), not seeing Thrawn for a year had provided him with a great deal of clarity. His CO had the unfortunate tendency to completely eclipse his thoughts.</p><p><em>All </em>of his thoughts.</p><p>It had started innocent enough—occasionally he’d be, well, <em>touching himself. </em>Only, he wouldn’t think about the things <em>most </em>men his age probably thought about. He thought about… reports.</p><p>The quick, informal reports he’d make in Thrawn’s office when it was just them. Behind closed doors. In the room that was barely lit (how he now knew the Chiss to prefer it in general, and not—as he'd dared hope—Thrawn's attempt at intimacy). He’d think about the way Thrawn would lean over his shoulder to look at his datapad, the way Thrawn smelled, the way Thrawn’s skin looked so cool but felt so <em>warm </em>just inches from his back, the way Thrawn would run his finger beneath his own bottom lip when he considered something Eli'd said—<em>really</em> considered it; and his <em>hands—</em></p><p>Oh, sweet <em>space </em>those <em>hands</em>.</p><p>It was amazing just how much Eli could accomplish on his own at night when he wasn’t coming down from a Thrawn’s-thumb-just-touched-my-pinky-when-I-passed-him-his-caf high. He’d learned all twenty-one Cheunh declension charts in less than a Csillan week and <em>those</em> were really only five days.</p><p>Of course, that was all over now. Because the mission to the Empire had been deemed a failure and now <em>Commodore </em>Thrawn was <em>here, </em>on the <em>Steadfast</em>.</p><p>Wearing the form-fitting black of the CDF, looking over Eli’s shoulder as he scrolled through his datapad, Thrawn’s breath tickling the hair over Eli’s ear as he said in his smooth, low voice: “Could you give this spread a sensitivity analysis, Commander Vanto?”</p><p>And suddenly Eli was twenty-three years old again: unable to concentrate on whatever the frack Colonel Yularen was saying about the Clone Wars because his CO had just taken off his shirt to fight a Togorian with sticks and Eli was learning one or two important things about himself.</p><p>Of course, now he <em>knew </em>Thrawn could see in the infrared and <em>knew</em> he was probably lit up like a plasma grid and he couldn’t do anything but breathe slow and hope Thrawn would just <em>go away </em>so he could take a shower—a cold one.</p><p>He rolled his eyes.</p><p>All showers were cold here. </p><p>And even if they weren’t, he was just going to end up fucking himself with his fingers thinking about Thrawn asking him about “curve fitting,” anyway.</p><p>
  <em>Fuck.</em>
</p>
<hr/><p>The situation with Commander Vanto had become noticeably… <em>tense</em> these months since his return to the Ascendancy.</p><p>The restoration of his CDF rank to commodore —a demotion in the Empire, but a promotion among the Chiss—had provided some respite, though it was brief. Perhaps the restoration of their previous power differential had provided a familiar frame through which they could navigate these decidedly less-familiar waters of life after the Empire.</p><p>But still, Vanto always hesitated for just one moment too many before taking a seat beside him at a meeting. He always crossed his legs away from him, careful to rotate his body so their arms would not touch. He made eye-contact that was unnaturally focused, as if he were afraid of what would happen if his brown eyes should stray away to <em>less </em>polite areas.</p><p>Like Thrawn's mouth.</p><p>Thrawn could see the signs of attraction Eli held for him as plain as if it had been painted onto his beautiful skin in infrared splashes of red and gold.  He could practically taste his arousal and it was... <em>unfortunate </em>to have to listen to Admiral Ar’alani discuss local threats when he could hear Eli’s pulse drumming in his ears<em>, </em>coaxing his own to echo its heated rhythm.</p><p>And as much as he wanted to let the younger man do whatever he felt he needed to do to be comfortable around his superior officer, what he <em>really </em>wanted to do was break the barrier circumstance had built between them.</p><p>And so, he had suggested resuming their previously-customary sparring practice, something they hadn’t had time for since he’d been a Commodore in the <em>Empire</em>.</p><p>But then, predictably, that had just made it worse… not that Thrawn could bring himself to regret it when he had Eli pinned, flushed cheek pressed against the mat, back heaving against his chest, separated only by their sweat-soaked shirts and willpower.</p><p>Vanto didn’t even look him in the <em>eye </em>over the crew’s shared evening meal and sat at the opposite corner of the long table.</p><p>And as Thrawn had watched Vanto stare determinedly at his own dinner, watched his throat bob as he took a sip of water, he wondered if the Human’s post-work-out shower had been as satisfactory as his own.</p><p>The Humans of the Empire were decidedly reluctant to discuss their more <em>biological needs, </em>he’d noticed<em>. </em>(General Skywalker's flustered denials sprung to mind.) It was as if their bodies were somehow shameful in their eyes—a weakness, even. A strange worldview to a Chiss, and a decidedly inconvenient one for <em>him</em> now.</p><p>First of all, because Eli—in spite of his Human biology being on <em>constant display</em>—was frustratingly <em>opaque </em>with his desires<em>. </em></p><p>Second of all, Eli was, yet again, Thrawn’s <em>subordinate. </em>And while fraternization was hardly a punishable offense, it was firmly discouraged. Not that something like cultural norms would stop <em>Thrawn. </em>As far as he was concerned, such norms existed to be subverted. Thrawn saw Eli as his equal—possibly his <em>only</em> equal. But Eli, he knew, always erred on the side of caution when it came to the Chiss.</p><p>But <em>most </em>of all, it was inconvenient because Eli’s glowing attraction stoked something in himself that he’d not experienced for many years: the inability to think clearly.</p><p>And given that Thrawn had essentially committed several acts of treason against the Empire before waltzing back to his own people to share with them every conceivable weakness of the Empire’s he could discern, the ability to think clearly about the threat the Emperor and his enforcer posed was, well, <em>important.</em></p><p>Thrawn watched Eli pick up his spoon in one of his elegant hands, gently caressing the glinting handle as he dipped it into his bowl of creamy soup and moved it to his puckered lips and <em>blew…</em> and all thoughts of the Sith seemed positively banal in comparison.</p><p>But when Eli wiped a stray drop of soup from the corner of his mouth with his thumb, licking it off with a darting pink tongue, Thrawn was struck with a desperation that transformed into a moment of <em>inspiration</em>.</p><p>And nobody was going to like it.</p>
<hr/><p>Ar’alani felt one of her tension headaches coming on—the ones she only seemed to be having these past eight weeks for <em>some strange reason.</em></p><p>“If Vader comes here, the Navigators may well be our last line of defense,” Mitth’raw’nuruodo continued as he followed her down the main corridor of the <em>Steadfast</em>. “But both Vader and the Emperor had difficulty penetrating my mind. We need to know whether that difficulty extends in the other direction.”</p><p>Ar’alani stopped, turning to face the Commodore at last. “You have been here for all of eight weeks and you would already endanger <em>Navigators</em>?” she asked tersely.</p><p>“No,” Mitth’raw’nuruodo insisted. “I would provide them with the means to defend themselves should the Ascendancy be invaded by a telekinetic murder-machine with a laser sword and a <em>choking fixation.</em>”</p><p>Ar’alani sighed the sigh she made when she knew Mitth’raw’nuruodo was right, but couldn’t quite bring herself to admit it aloud.</p><p>Yet.</p><p>“I make no promises,” she said, and Mitth’raw’nuruodo nodded. “The logical first step would be to, as you say, test a Navigator with Second Sight’s ability to meld with a Human mind.” Thrawn nodded again. “Then I suppose it is convenient you have provided me with so many.” Another nod. “Summon Commander Eli’van’to and Navigator Vahn’ya immediately and we will make for Shin'cho station,” she said as she resumed her march toward the Bridge.</p><p>Mitth’raw’nuruodo, however, did not follow.</p><p>“Use Ronan,” he said, his tone bordering on insubordinate.</p><p>Ar’alani looked up for a moment of superficial consideration before resuming her walk. “No.”</p><p>“Eli’van’to’s mind is a rarity,” Mitth’raw’nuruodo said, making a few quick strides to close the distance between them. “The risk of damaging such a mind is <em>unacceptable.</em>”</p><p>“Oh, but the risk to the <em>Navigator’s </em>mind—upon whom our collective livelihood and security depends—<em>is not an unacceptable risk</em>?”</p><p>Thrawn was silent for a moment. “The risk is minimal.”</p><p>“Exactly,” Ar’alani said coolly. “If you would not take such a risk with your <em>translator</em>, why should I take such a risk with a <em>Navigator</em>? I will not order him to undertake this experiment of yours, but Commander Eli’van’to is a devoted warrior and I am certain he would be more than willing to volunteer. Brierly’ro’nan, on the other hand, is not; and the less <em>that one</em> knows about the Navigators, the better.”</p><p>Mitth’raw’nuruodo's shoulder lifted in the ghost of a shrug. “So restrain him.”</p><p>Ar’alani paused once more and hissed, “<em>No, </em>Captain.”</p><p>“I can do it if you find it distasteful,” Thrawn said quickly.</p><p>“I said <em>no, </em>Mitth’raw’nuruodo!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Written as an exercise to force myself to write a story while trying not to get too hung up on any one part and power through from start to finish. Full disclosure: I did go back and make edits/cuts/add some thrusts. But it was still fun!<s> and useful? wtf is utility anyway this is fanfic, GTFO Whale</s></p><p>Also. I blame Chaos for the parenthetical title. It makes me feel so much classier than I (apparently) am.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Itch</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Things are definitely not going according to Thrawn's plan. </p><p>They're going <i>better</i>.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong> <em>Shin’cho Station, One Week Later…</em> </strong>
</p><p>Eli’van’to was dressed in his training clothes, seated in a chair in the corner of the medical ward, his arms folded across his chest and <em>glowering</em>.</p><p>Ar’alani glanced at him and internally winced.</p><p>They really should have used Brierly’ro’nan for this.</p><p>
  <em>Fu'ch.</em>
</p><p>“Navigator Vah’nya? Explain,” Ar’alani said sharply, folding her hands behind her back.</p><p>Vah’nya cleared her throat and said, “The melding of minds was not very successful—“</p><p>“Yes, I understand <em>that. </em>I <em>meant </em>about Commander Eli’van’to’s…” she trailed off, her eyes flicking toward the Human whose mouth was pressed so firmly into a line she thought he might lose circulation to his lips. “Symptoms.”</p><p>“Yes,” Vah’nya said, visibly wincing. “His left ear itches."</p><p>As if on cue, Eli raised a hand to scratch briefly at his ear before returning it to the security of its previous position.</p><p>When Ar’alani did not respond and only continued to stare blankly at the Navigator, the young woman admitted, “And he seems to be incapable of deception.”</p><p>The Admiral narrowed her eyes. “And how did you come to this conclusion?”</p><p>“Well,” Vah’nya said, shifting her feet. “When asked questions about how he was feeling he was very <em>forthcoming.</em>”</p><p>Ar’alani felt her eyes widen. “If he were ever captured—“</p><p>“I’m sitting right here, Admiral,” Eli’van’to huffed. “All this talking about me in the third-person while I am <em>clearly right here </em>is even <em>more </em>agitating than it <em>usually </em>is when you people do it<em>.</em>” He winced and weakly added, “Ma’am.”</p><p>Ar’alani ignored him, and looked over her shoulder for a certain Commodore before turning back to Vah’nya and whispering, “And his <em>faculties</em>?” If the Human’s talent for data-analysis had been compromised she would <em>never hear the end of it. </em></p><p>“So far as we can tell, unaffected,” Vahn’ya said, holding up a datapad. “We documented a number of baseline responses before the meld at Commodore Mitth’raw’nuruodo’s suggestion. Commander Eli's ability to perform complex calculations, translate between languages, solve problems, answer questions about his childhood and about his life in the Ascendancy, and everything else we thought to measure are consistent with his responses before the meld, just—as I said—more <em>forthcoming</em>. If I may demonstrate something, Admiral?”</p><p>Ar’alani nodded and Vah’nya placed a glass of water beside Eli and asked, “Do you want to drink the water, Eli?”</p><p>Eli rolled his eyes. “Yes, I want to drink the water,” he said with the impatient edge of someone being asked the same question for the tenth time.</p><p>“Then please do so,” Vah’nya said with a wave of her hand.</p><p>“No,” Eli said, scratching at his left ear.</p><p>Ar’alani nodded slowly. “Interesting,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her. “Do you wish to see Mitth’raw’nuruodo, Commander?”</p><p>“No,” Eli said.</p><p>“Why not?”</p><p>Eli was visibly strained and then answered in Basic. Ar’alani caught “I” and “say” and “Thrawn” but he had seemingly purposefully thickened his accent to make it less comprehensible to the Chiss. An ingenious solution to what, she’d deduced, was a potentially insubordinate—or even embarrassing—answer. </p><p>Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Vah’nya twist her face ever-so-slightly. She turned to her and asked, “Navigator?”</p><p>“Well, Admiral,” Vah’nya said, determinedly <em>not </em>looking at the Human. “We were counting on Captain Mitth’raw’nuruodo to confirm that there are no significant changes to his <em>personality </em>apart from, well....”</p><p>Ar’alani arched an eyebrow and turned to Eli’van’to. “Commander? What do <em>you </em>think of Navigator Vah’nya’s suggestion?”</p><p>Eli winced. “It sounds like a rational if regrettable course of action to me, Admiral,” he admitted quietly.</p><p>“I am inclined to agree, Commander,” Ar’alani said, a definite tinge of amusement to her voice. Turning to Vah’nya once more she said, “Navigator, is there any reason why Commander Eli’van’to should <em>not</em> be remanded to his temporary quarters at this time?”</p><p>“No, Admiral,” she said, gesturing to the small blue electrode on Eli’s left temple. “We can monitor his life-signs from here.”</p><p>“Very good,” Ar’alani said. “Please contact the Commodore presently.”</p><p>Eli sighed and let his head fall against the wall behind him with an echoing <em>thud.</em></p><hr/><p>Thrawn thought things had worked out rather well, considering.</p><p>He had anticipated that the melding of minds would be unsuccessful. But still, he had hoped that the presence of another mind would encourage Eli to be more open, to give voice to that which he had repressed for so many years: a lesser analog of the phenomenon experienced by Chiss undergoing a Second Sight meld.</p><p>But <em>this </em>was so fortuitous it was almost poetic.</p><p>Frankly, he was impressed.</p><p>The moment Admiral Ar’alani finished informing him of recent events (with Navigator Vah’nya safely shielded behind her imposing frame), he said nothing that might betray how pleased he was with the course of events. Instead, Thrawn simply saluted, spun on his heel and left the Admiral’s borrowed-office, leaving her to believe that he was upset that she'd "failed to heed his advice," rather than burning with curiosity. He turned left, then left again, and then right, stopping outside Eli’s temporary quarters.</p><p>Eli would likely be angry initially, but this was just too valuable—too <em>rare </em>an opportunity to resist.</p><p>It was not as if Thrawn didn't anger Eli on a biweekly basis anyway; the Commander tended to bounce back rather quickly.</p><p>And judging from the fact that Eli had opted to <em>not </em>see Thrawn, Eli was well aware of the fact that Thrawn intended to be very thorough in "checking his personality" and probably dreaded it.</p><p>But there was no such thing as a necessarily-losing hand. And if Thrawn and Eli both played their respective cards right, they might just find this turn of chance very fortunate indeed.</p><p>He pressed the call button and waited. After several long minutes, there was a soft <em>ding </em>and Eli’s voice followed: “<em>Yes?</em>”</p><p>“This is Commodore Thrawn,” he said. “Admiral Ar’alani has requested that I ensure there have been no significant personality changes since the procedure.”</p><p>There was silence for precisely six seconds, then: “<em>I know.</em>”</p><p>“Then perhaps you should let me inside?”</p><p>“<em>I really shouldn’t. Do you think we could just do it through the door?”</em></p><p>“Do <em>you?</em>” Thrawn countered.</p><p>"<em>No,</em>" Eli admitted with a groan.</p><p>Thrawn glanced at the still-closed door. "Commander?"</p><p>“<em>It’s just I’ve been sort of banking on this being temporary to maintain my sanity and was planning on hiding in the refresher until I can lie again.”</em></p><p>“Please open the door, Commander,” Thrawn said, pushing down a smirk. He could practically hear Eli’s resigned sigh as the door hissed open to reveal the Commander, still in the soft white shirt and loose-fitting pants he’d doubtlessly worn during the procedure. His lower lip was red and swollen, possibly from previous efforts to bite back the truth. When combined with the permanent, embarrassed blush, Eli looked even more kissable than usual.</p><p>And that was saying something.</p><p>Thrawn glanced around the quarters; they were quite generously appointed, with a large bed and attached refresher. A meal and pitcher of water—both untouched—had been left on a small table. He suspected the Admiral felt a fraction of remorse for her subordinate’s <em>situation </em>and allowed Eli the luxury of the rooms usually reserved for visiting Syndics and members of the Aristocra. She would have justified the accommodations by claiming that the Commander's "excess of honesty" merited increased security. The bedding that would typically be changed out to match the House colors of any visitors were gray.</p><p>Eli would look better on burgundy, he thought.</p><p>But not as exquisite as he’d look on <em>blue. </em></p><p>“Admiral Ar’alani tells me you were able to circumvent potential awkwardness by switching to heavily-accented Basic,” Thrawn said as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “Ingenious. Do you believe that will work with me?”</p><p>“No,” Eli admitted, briefly wringing his hands in the nervous gesture Thrawn had thought him rid of years ago.</p><p>“Shame,” Thrawn said, watching Eli determinedly fold his arms across his chest to arrest his fidgeting. “I have always rather enjoyed your accent.”</p><p>“I liked yours, too,” Eli said, his head bowed like he was speaking to something on the ground.</p><p>“Tell me, Commander,” Thrawn began. “Why did you not wish to see me?”</p><p>Eli’s shoulders tensed. “Because I was afraid of what I might say to you,” he said through gritted teeth. “And I think you <em>know</em> that because I think this was your idea in the first place, you blue prick.”</p><p>Ah. So that was what they'd meant by <em>more forthcoming. </em></p><p>“Indeed?” Thrawn took a small step toward Eli. “Do you believe I anticipated this?” he asked, gesturing pointedly to Eli's mouth.</p><p>“I don't know how you could have, Thrawn; but I know you and I know you anticipated <em>something</em>, you smug asshole," Eli said. "And don't think I don't know that you took advantage of the Admiral's current enmity for you to manipulate her into using me rather than Ronan."</p><p>Thrawn frowned slightly. “That is quite the accusation, Commander."</p><p>"Fuck you, Thrawn."</p><p>Thrawn bit back a smile. "Indeed." He tilted his head and said, "I would like to return to a point you made earlier—before calling me a 'blue prick'—" Eli winced and Thrawn continued, "—that being, what sorts of things were you afraid you might say to the 'smug asshole' before you?”</p><p>Eli’s face twisted for a moment as he struggled to hold back the truth until he said with a gasp, “The things I want you to do to me.”</p><p>"Ah." Thrawn allowed himself a self-satisfied smile. “Such as?”</p><p>“I want you to lick me open and fuck me with your tongue,” Eli said, his face completely aglow in the infrared.</p><p>Thrawn arched an interested eyebrow. Admittedly, he was anticipating an "I want to kiss you," or "I want to touch you," and was even prepared for "I want to punch you in the face and <em>then</em> kiss and/or touch you."</p><p>He had never enjoyed being wrong before but found he did not <em>remotely</em> mind in this instance. Eli always did have a talent for exceeding expectations, even his own.</p><p>“That would be fraternization, Commander,” Thrawn said mildly, a smile twitching on his lips.</p><p>“I know. And I want you to fraternize the Wild Space out of me,” Eli said, wincing as the words left his mouth.</p><p>“Noted… do you want me to leave?” Thrawn asked.</p><p>Something flickered on Eli’s face and he said, “No.”</p><p>“Do you have a second-order desire for me to leave?" Thrawn asked.</p><p>Eli blinked at him.</p><p>"That is, do you <em>want</em> to want me to leave?”</p><p>“No. <em>Fuck</em>, you are pretentious," Eli muttered.</p><p>“I am. Do you want me to stop asking you these questions?” Thrawn asked, running his thumb across Eli’s bottom lip, dipping just enough into his hot mouth to spread saliva over the pink skin. He bit his own lip as he thought of how good Eli’s would feel between his teeth—swollen, wet, pliant.</p><p>Eli let out a shuddering breath that tickled Thrawn’s hand. “<em>No. </em>And I don't have a second-order desire for you to stop, either, even if you the biggest pain in my ass that ever walked this galaxy.<em>”</em></p><p>Thrawn retracted his hand, tilting his head to the side as he asked, “And yet, is there anyone you want more than me?”</p><p>Eli swallowed. “No, and it has really put a damper on what probably should've been the best years of my sex life, and frankly I expect you to make up for it.”</p><p>“Well, Commander," Thrawn said. "You know how I feel about waste."</p><p>"I do."</p><p>"So, has there <em>ever</em> been anyone you’ve wanted more than me?” Thrawn asked with a predatory gleam in his eyes.</p><p>“No,” Eli answered immediately.</p><p>Thrawn nodded pointedly to the bed beside them. “Do you want me to take advantage of this admittedly-overlarge bed and fuck you now?”</p><p>“<em>Yes.</em>”</p><p> “And what if I told you I wanted to do all those things to you, too?” Thrawn asked, running a hand through Eli’s hair and giving it a quick squeeze that made Eli's eyes flash. “What would you do if I told you I wanted you to tell me every sordid fantasy you’ve ever had so I can give it to you because I can <em>assure </em>you I would enjoy that very, <em>very </em>much?”</p><p>“I think I might actually die,” Eli choked.</p><p>Thrawn hummed thoughtfully. “Interesting. You are still capable of metaphor?”</p><p>“Honestly, I am not sure that was a metaphor,” Eli said mildly, scratching at his left ear.</p><p>“Hmm…” Thrawn pushed Eli’s hand away and rubbed his earlobe with his own fingers, earning him a relieved sigh. “Is that a risk you’re willing to take?”</p><p>“<em>Fuck yes,</em>” Eli moaned, leaning into his hand.</p><p>“Do you have lubrication?” Thrawn asked.</p><p>“In my carry-bag,” he answered, darting his eyes to the yet-unpacked bag on the table.</p><p>Thrawn arched an eyebrow. “And why do you have this, Eli?” he asked.</p><p>“I use it to touch myself,” Eli said quickly.</p><p>“How?” Thrawn asked, his questions now matching the urgent rhythm of Eli's answers.</p><p>“I jerk off while I fuck myself with my fingers.”</p><p>“And who are you thinking about when you do this?”</p><p>“You.”</p><p>“When we sparred two weeks ago, did you come back here to touch yourself afterward?”</p><p>“<em>Yes.</em>”</p><p>“And you were thinking about me?”</p><p>“Yes,” Eli said.</p><p>Thrawn leaned forward to whisper in Eli’s ear, “So did I.” He nipped his earlobe and asked, “Does that entice you?”</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“What do you want me to do?”</p><p>“I want you to take your clothes off. I want to see you.”</p><p>“Very well,” Thrawn said, glancing downward as he unfastened his black uniform, smirking inwardly as he felt Eli’s eyes burn into each inch of revealed blue skin.</p><p>“What would you like me to do to you first?” Thrawn asked as he shrugged out of his uniform jacket to reveal his sleeveless black undershirt and tossed it aside. “You have already made several enticing suggestions,” he said, stepping out of his boots.</p><p>Eli looked physically pained as he breathed out, “I want your mouth on me.”</p><p>“Where?” Thrawn asked, reveling in the way Eli’s eyes so openly and unabashedly raked over his body.</p><p>“<em>Everywhere.</em>”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Upcoming smut is from Eli's POV, in case y'all were ch'urious</p><p>(Oh, man now I want ch'urros...)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Shatter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Eli tells Thrawn what he wants.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The compulsion to speak the truth sat dry and heavy in Eli’s throat and pure, unfiltered honesty was the only relief available to him. The words felt cool and soothing on his tongue even as what he said sent his skin flushing and face cringing with embarrassment or regret.</p><p>He had no choice to speak the truth and yet he’d never felt anything so freeing as when Thrawn said: <em>“Tell me something you want.” </em></p><p>“I’ve always wanted to lick your collarbone,” Eli admitted, his cheeks flushing a furious red.</p><p>Thrawn gave him a knowing smirk as he pulled off his undershirt to reveal abs that were bordering on treason and said, “Are you under the impression that I do not also entertain such <em>specific </em>desires?”</p><p>Eli ran his tongue along the back of his teeth and said, “Tell me one?”</p><p>“You have such elegant hands, beautiful wrists,” Thrawn said easily as if he too couldn’t but speak the truth. “I want to kiss your pulse, lick your palm, and suck each finger before seeing them wrapped around me.” He tilted his head and added, “Preferably while giving me a supply report.”</p><p>“I have to give one of those next week,” Eli said with a shy smile as he stared at the sharp jut of Thrawn’s hips peeking over his pants in a supremely lickable fashion. He wondered vaguely if he should take back his last answer.</p><p>“I am keenly aware,” Thrawn said, unfastening his pants before pushing them down along with his undergarments and kicking them both off to somewhere that might have been the bed but honestly did not matter because naked Thrawn did not occupy that space, and <em>really. </em></p><p>Why would anyone bother with anything else?</p><p>Eli swallowed, his throat bobbing as he took the man in, feeling the hot leak of precum in his own sweatpants as he stared hungrily at the lines of Thrawn’s abdomen, arrowing downward to his thick cock, already flushed indigo at the head and arching heavily upward.</p><p>He glanced up at Thrawn to see him smirking the smirk of someone keenly aware of how good they looked, the smug bastard. Suddenly, he realized he should occupy his mouth before he felt compelled to tell him so.</p><p>Again.</p><p>Eli leaned forward, dragging his open mouth along the sharp line of Thrawn’s clavicle, tentatively tonguing the dip at the base of his throat before licking a more deliberate line up the other side. He felt a sharp breath tickle his hair as he nibbled lightly on the soft skin of Thrawn’s neck, licking and biting his way to his jaw.</p><p>Eli hesitated when he reached Thrawn’s mouth, taking a moment to look up at the red eyes that were staring so intently down at him. He let his lips hover over Thrawn’s; the prospect of actually kissing the man he’d wanted desperately for <em>years</em> seemed to make this all so much more real somehow, rather than something that—for all he knew—could be a comatose erotic fantasy playing out in the med-ward while Vah’nya blushingly combed through all of his thoughts.</p><p>Eli brushed his lips over Thrawn’s as strong hands gripped his waist, pulling him closer. He practically fell forward, feeling utterly helpless in the most wonderful way once he <em>finally</em> tasted Thrawn, warm and soft against his lips.</p><p>Feeling a fresh surge of confidence, Eli did something he always wanted to do: he ran his fingers through Thrawn’s hair, dislodging the usually impeccably-combed strands from their careful styling.</p><p>As Thrawn licked Eli’s tongue into his mouth, Eli felt the already-firm grip tightening on his waist. He gently tugged on Thrawn’s hair to tilt his head as he explored, every quiet hum Thrawn made sending little sparks of sensation dancing across his lips, tickling the corners of his mouth.</p><p>Eli bit down on Thrawn’s lower lip before sucking on the swollen flesh then pulled away, relishing the feel of Thrawn’s panting breaths mirroring his own.</p><p>“What do you want?” Thrawn asked again—somewhat breathlessly this time—trailing his fingertips over Eli’s stomach through his thin shirt. “Let me give you what you want.”</p><p>Eli felt a sharp tug of arousal. Thrawn’s voice was already sexy enough when the man was discussing <em>doonium shipments</em>. But hearing <em>those</em> words from <em>that</em> mouth was so hot it might actually be causing him permanent damage.</p><p>“I want you to undress me,” Eli managed, finding cohesive plan-making a bit difficult with that muscular blue form standing so close he could actually feel his body heat soaking through to his bones. The words had barely escaped his mouth when Thrawn’s hands were already sliding under his shirt, pushing it up over his torso and sending his skin thrumming at the touch. He could feel the rod of Thrawn’s arousal brush against his hip and he whimpered, fumbling with his own pants the moment Thrawn tugged his shirt off his head and threw it somewhere that could have been an open flame for all he cared.</p><p>Thrawn arched an eyebrow, giving him an amused look. “I thought you wanted <em>me </em>to undress you?” he asked, but didn’t interfere as Eli wriggled out of his pants, realized his shoes were still on and kicked off all offending items of clothing off with a grunted, “Yeah, well you were too kriffing <em>slow.</em>”</p><p>Thrawn’s eyes raked over Eli’s body admiringly, lingering over the erection rising toward his toned, brown stomach before returning to his eyes. “You don’t want me to be slow,” he observed.</p><p>“Not just now, no,” Eli said quickly, wrapping his arms back around Thrawn’s neck to pull him down for a heated kiss. When Thrawn pulled Eli’s chest flushed against his, pressing the hard heat of his arousal between their bodies, all previous kissing-acumen became a thing of the past. He brushed his open mouth over Thrawn’s as he writhed against him, shamelessly grinding his cock against the taller man’s thigh, each undulating movement stirring the tension that had been steadily building in his groin since Thrawn had made that glorious decision to slide his thumb into Eli’s mouth.</p><p>Thrawn nipped Eli’s lip, his voice a low growl as he said, “I want to make you <em>squirm</em><em>, </em>Eli<em>. </em>Tell me how I do that.” He rolled his hips forward, sliding the length of his erection against Eli’s stomach.</p><p>Eli licked his lips at the surge of pure want too potent and chaotic for his tongue to translate to words. He didn’t feel ashamed or embarrassed anymore, he realized—he felt <em>powerful. </em></p><p>With far more confidence, he answered, “You fuck me with your smart mouth and then fuck me with your thick cock, that’s how.”</p><p>Thrawn’s mouth spread into a slow, hungry grin, and without preamble, he shoved Eli backward, sending him bouncing onto the bed, his legs dangling off the edge. He knelt at the foot and hooked Eli’s knees over his shoulders before planting his mouth straight over his tight balls.</p><p>“<em>Fuck,</em>” Eli groaned, grateful to still be capable of senseless expletives as he felt Thrawn’s mouth, hot and eager, nibbling and kissing and sucking and biting everywhere he could reach. He pulled his own knees back at the gentle push of Thrawn’s hands against his thighs, spreading him wide, and feeling the wet pressure of a tongue swiping over his crease.</p><p>His own cock was achingly hard against his stomach, releasing a trickle of precum once Thrawn’s tongue circled his entrance, occasionally leaving to trace shapes over the soft skin behind his balls. Eli spent a moment trying to figure out just what was being drawn or written on his body when Thrawn slid his tongue inside him and he could’ve jumped straight to the ceiling if not for the strong blue hands pressing down on his thighs.</p><p>Thrawn slid his hands under Eli’s back and lifted him up, burying his face in Eli’s ass. When Eli felt a quick scrape of teeth he jerked, his legs thrashing out and finding purchase against Thrawn’s shoulder blades. He pressed his heels into Thrawn’s back and canted his hips upward, giving Thrawn greater access to do whatever the fuck it was he was doing down there that was making his cock leak precum all over, dripping down his side to soak the gray blanket below.</p><p>Eli could just make out the brief flash of red as Thrawn looked up at him, his eyes positively <em>feral </em>before tongue-fucking him in earnest, gripping the flesh of Eli’s ass with bruising force.  </p><p>As promised, Eli squirmed beneath Thrawn’s hands and mouth—thighs twitching, hands fisting the blankets, chest heaving, stomach clenching as he did his level best to contain his moans and found it futile.</p><p>If the CDF didn’t want Eli moaning and howling in his quarters about the Chiss sex god tonguing him past coherency, they shouldn’t have broken whatever filter he’d had that let him <em>lie.</em></p><p>When Thrawn pulled back, Eli felt cool air tingling against his wet hole. Before he could protest at the loss he felt Thrawn’s elegant fingers, slick with lube, circling his entrance before sliding in. He glanced over at his still-packed carry-bag on the table and realized that Thrawn had <em>brought his own lube</em>, the cocky fucker.</p><p>Eli honestly couldn't tell if it was two fingers stretching him or if Thrawn’s were that much thicker than his own. Given how much time he spent staring at them he really felt he should know the answer to that question. But when he tilted his chin to his chest to get a better look, his priorities immediately shifted.</p><p>Thrawn was leaning forward, usually-perfectly combed hair thoroughly mussed, his red eyes locked with Eli’s brown as he licked through the trail of moisture on Eli’s abdomen before mouthing his cock, dragging his lips along the length as he worked Eli open with his fingers.</p><p>“<em>Unnf,</em> Thrawn I’m—“ Eli gasped as Thrawn took his shaft in his free hand and wrapped his lips around the head, digging his tongue into the sweet spot beneath. Thrawn arched an eyebrow before releasing Eli’s cock from his mouth and said, “Tell me what you want, Eli.”  </p><p>“I want you to—<em>fuck!</em>“ Thrawn curled a finger inside him, sending out a spark of pleasure that made Eli’s feet twitch and kick against Thrawn’s back. Eli glared down at him and Thrawn was grinning wolfishly back like the smug bastard he clearly was.</p><p>“Apologies, Commander: I interrupted you,” Thrawn said, looking not remotely sorry as he continued gently rocking his hand against Eli’s ass. “What were you saying?”</p><p>“I was saying, ‘I want you to fuck me ‘til I come on your cock’—<em>what’re you smiling about</em>?”</p><p>“I cannot imagine,” Thrawn said as he extracted his fingers and stood.</p><p>As if pulled in by gravity, Eli rose to sit at the edge of the bed, tracing the sharp lines of Thrawn’s hips with his fingers, lingering over his chiseled abs. He leaned forward to press a kiss to the taut skin beneath his navel, licking the ripples of his abdomen with his tongue, mouthing the sharp jut of his hip.</p><p>When Eli felt Thrawn’s hands tangle in his hair, he moaned into the firm flesh of his abdomen. The hard heat of Thrawn’s thick cock nudged against the side of Eli’s neck and he reached for it, wrapping his fingers around the shaft and guiding it to his mouth.</p><p>The muscles of Thrawn’s abdomen stiffened and his breath hitched once Eli swiped his flat tongue over the slit and wrapped his lips around the head. Urged on by the quiet grunts Thrawn made as Eli worked his cock in his mouth, he leaned forward to take him deeper and swallowed against the pressure at the back of his throat.</p><p>Thrawn let out an audible, open-mouthed moan that sent a flare of heat shooting through Eli’s core. His own cock jumped against his thigh when Thrawn fisted his hair in his hands like it was the only thing keeping him upright.</p><p>Eli pulled back, sucking at the tip to savor the salty taste of his precum before releasing the cock from his mouth with a pop. “What,” Eli asked with a smirk. “You’re not going to tell me ‘I thought you wanted me to fuck you?’”</p><p>Thrawn blinked. “I am hardly going to complain about that, Eli.”</p><p>“I love the way you say my name,” Eli said, sliding his hands around Thrawn’s backside to squeeze the firm globes of his ass in his hands. “I want to hear you <em>scream </em>it, I want to feel you bite it into me.” He smiled in self-satisfaction when he saw Thrawn’s cock give a twitch of anticipation.</p><p>“Shame I don’t have a desk in here,” Eli said as he crawled back to the head of the bed, reclining against the pillows. “I’ve always wanted you to bend me over yours.”</p><p>“Why do you think I always kept the surface so empty?” Thrawn said. “I occupied myself with much the same thoughts.”</p><p>Eli shook his head. “I like the idea of you sweeping everything off like you don’t care about anything other than fucking me into oblivion.”</p><p>“I <em>don’t </em>care about anything other than fucking you into oblivion,” Thrawn assured him as he crawled up to join Eli, nuzzling his shoulder.</p><p>“<em>Do</em> you have a desk these days?” Eli asked, shivering as Thrawn breathed him in like he was memorizing his scent.</p><p>“I will <em>find one,</em>” Thrawn growled into his ear. “How do you want me?”</p><p>“So I can see you,” Eli said, twisting to the side to push Thrawn back to lean against the pillows, straddling his hips.</p><p>Thrawn stroked Eli’s brown thighs almost reverently, his red eyes raking over every visible inch of his body—lingering and lustful looks that left goosebumps in their wake, as if his skin had been brushed with lips or fingertips.</p><p>Eli swallowed, feeling a flush of anticipation and nervous excitement rather than embarrassment creep up his chest and neck. He braced his hands on Thrawn’s shoulders and nodded.</p><p>Thrawn gripped Eli’s hip in one hand as he guided his cock with the other. When Eli felt the slick, blunt head against his ass he sank down, letting out a stuttering gasp as the thick tip was sucked into his body. He closed his eyes, his fingers digging into Thrawn’s shoulders so hard he was certain he’d have purple bruises. But seeing as how Thrawn’s own fingers were digging into both of his hips with much the same fervor, he did not feel remotely bad about that.</p><p>Eli took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he impaled himself on Thrawn’s cock, not stopping until he was fully seated. He wrapped his arms around Thrawn’s neck just as he felt Thrawn’s arms embrace him, holding him close to his chest, tracing delicate, flowing shapes along his back like rolling clouds.</p><p>“Are you alright?” Thrawn asked and Eli cut off his own answer with a crushing kiss.</p><p>Thrawn’s mouth tasted better than the truth—his tongue more soothing than honesty. Eli lost himself in the pattern of Thrawn’s kisses: how each dance of tongues was always punctuated with a nip of teeth and a tender press of lips on lips, like a waltz.</p><p>Eli rolled his hips forward and Thrawn moaned into his mouth, the hands on his back stilling momentarily as Eli began lazily fucking himself on Thrawn’s cock.</p><p>As warm pleasure steadily built inside him, chasing his arousal like a shadow, Eli knew he needed more and didn’t wait for Thrawn to tell him to ask for it. </p><p>“I want to feel your mouth on me,” Eli said breathlessly and Thrawn obliged, bowing his head to lick and nip and suck at his nipples. “<em>Bite me harder,</em>” he hissed, throwing his head back and keening as Thrawn did so, a sharp burst of sensation radiating from his chest and shooting straight to his cock. Thrawn moaned around his nipple and Eli could have <em>laughed </em>he felt that good—that <em>relieved </em>that the tension plaguing them both for years had finally <em>shattered </em>into something so perfect as this.</p><p>Eli rolled his hips, his entire body following through with the motion as he rode Thrawn like a ship on the waves of hyperspace. He wrapped his arms loosely around Thrawn’s neck and kissed him until they were both lightheaded.</p><p>“You are so fucking perfect,” he gasped into Thrawn’s mouth.</p><p>“Tell me what you need,” Thrawn said, his voice on the edge of desperation, as if he needed to hear Eli speak the truth just as badly as Eli needed to say it.</p><p>So Eli tugged Thrawn’s lip in his teeth and told him.</p><p>Thrawn obeyed every request with the speed and precision of a seasoned lieutenant on the bridge in the peak of battle—when the stakes were highest and the chain of command mattered most.</p><p>When Eli said “harder,” Thrawn clenched his jaw and gripped Eli’s hips to <em>slam </em>him up and down his cock.</p><p>When Eli said “I want to last,” he pulled back to brush against Eli’s prostate rather than nail it head-on.</p><p>When Eli said “Touch me,” Thrawn slid a hand from his hips to grip his weeping cock, squeezing the head in his fist.</p><p>And when Eli said “kiss me,” he kissed him like the fate of the Ascendancy rested on those lips.</p><p>Eli looked down at Thrawn—his blue skin now shining with sweat, his hair falling into his red eyes and flushed indigo cheeks, his lips swollen from Eli’s biting, desperate kisses—and he felt compelled to say: “You are so fucking beautiful and you probably know it, too, you pretentious prick.”</p><p>The corners of Thrawn’s eyes crinkled in a subtle smile. “I take it this is what they meant by ‘forthcoming.’”</p><p>Eli felt his face split into a feral grin and he ground down hard on Thrawn’s cock, earning him a low groan. “You want to see forthcoming?” Eli asked around his gasping breaths. “Nail me into the bed and fuck me ‘til I’m seeing stars because I want to be able to feel you during every tedious-fucking evaluation tomorrow,” he panted. “Then I’ll be <em>forthcoming</em>.”</p><p>Thrawn gripped Eli’s ass in his hands and raised himself to his knees. Eli only had a moment to marvel at the sheer athleticism of the maneuver before he was on his back and pummeled into the mattress, crying out with the force of it.</p><p>He felt Thrawn’s abs—slick with sweat and his own precum—<em>drag</em> against his own aching cock as he was pounded into, the wet, slapping sounds of their fucking almost enough to drown out the pulse roaring in his ears.</p><p>“<em>Gods, </em>I need it all—I need you to fucking <em>take me and fuck me like I can’t break</em>,” Eli moaned into Thrawn’s ear.  </p><p>Thrawn growled into Eli’s neck, pinning him down as he took his pleasure from him, snapping his hips forward in short, brutal thrusts that had Eli <em>wailing, </em>his fingers digging into Thrawn’s back and urging him on.</p><p>Eli clenched a fist in Thrawn’s hair, earning him a fucking <em>snarl </em>and a particularly-hard thrust that had him seeing honest-to-goodness <em>star lines</em>. He ran his other hand over Thrawn’s back, feeling the muscles flexing beneath his palms as he fucked Eli with everything he had.</p><p>Eli dug his fingernails into Thrawn’s back and he <em>hissed</em> into Eli’s neck. He felt the tension in his groin tighten and pulse at the sound, clenching his eyes shut as overwhelming pleasure washed through him and he couldn’t do anything more than clutch to Thrawn as he took him spiraling higher and higher with <em>thrust </em>after <em>thrust</em>. </p><p>“<em>Fuck, </em>Thrawn<em>, I'm—" </em>Eli gasped between desperate, plaintive sounds, unable to verbally complete the truth burning in his throat—<em>about to have the best orgasm of my life and if you stop now I will never forgive you, yougloriousbastard.</em></p><p>Thrawn reached an arm under Eli’s ass and canted his hips upward, <em>pounding </em>the living daylight out of his prostate, each thrust sending a fresh spurt of precum from his throbbing cock until he something inside him <em>shattered </em>and he came so hard he couldn’t hear his own screams but he could somehow taste the name <em>Thrawn </em>on his tongue.</p><p>Thrawn choked out, <em>“Eli,</em>” and bit the name hard into Eli’s shoulder. He stiffened against Eli for just a moment before <em>grinding </em>him into the bed, coating his walls with hot ribbons of his cum. As Thrawn continued rocking against him, riding out his own orgasm, Eli felt his hot seed spill from his hole as Thrawn kept fucking into him with obscene, wet sounds that sent fresh waves of want dancing over his skin.</p><p>At last, Thrawn collapsed against him, leaning slightly on his side to keep from suffocating the smaller man. All the same, Eli could still feel Thrawn’s frantic heartbeat echo against his own and the thought made him so content he wouldn’t have minded suffocating, just a little.</p><p>After what might have been forever or no time at all, when the sweat cooled and the gasps became sighs, he felt Thrawn pull out with a soft groan. Eli turned to press his lips to his sweat-kissed forehead.</p><p>“Are you alright?” Thrawn asked as he pushed himself onto an elbow, his voice hoarse.</p><p>“Are <em>you</em>?” Eli asked pointedly as he pulled a few strands of blue-black hair from his fingers and dropped them to the floor behind him.</p><p>Thrawn arched an eyebrow and asked, “What is the square root of 4,761?”</p><p>“Fourteen.”</p><p>“It is not.”</p><p>“Oh, I’m sorry—are <em>you</em> the resident math genius?” Eli asked with a huff. “No. I said it’s fourteen and it’s <em>fourteen</em>.”</p><p>Thrawn narrowed his eyes. “I cannot tell if you’re lying by way of demonstration or if I’ve somehow… damaged you further.”</p><p>“Oh, you definitely wrecked me, sir,” Eli said with a lopsided grin. At Thrawn’s concerned look he amended quickly, “It’s sixty-nine, Thrawn.”</p><p>“Fascinating,” Thrawn said. “I wonder if the flood of endorphins or any number of other chemicals somehow restored your brain’s—“</p><p>“I love you,” Eli blurted out.</p><p>Thrawn stared at him for several agonizing moments before smiling warmly. “I had rather hoped you did,” he said. “As I love you.”</p><p>Eli returned his smile. "Imagine if I'd said that while under the influence. Wouldn't you have felt like an asshole."</p><p>"I'd have managed," Thrawn said before leaning down to nibble Eli's left earlobe, earning him a satisfied groan. He paused to ask, "Does your ear still itch?" before resuming his ministrations.</p><p>"That depends. If I say 'no' will you stop doing that?" Eli asked.</p><p>He felt Thrawn's silent laugh tickle his ear. "Only if you ask me to."</p><p>"Then no, it doesn't. But feel free to continue, Commodore."</p><p>"Thank you, Commander, I will," he said, punctuating his words with a nip to Eli's earlobe.</p><p>“So uh…” Eli began, his brow furrowing. “Do you think we’d have just gone on forever pretending not to want each other if this all didn’t happen?” he asked, waving his hand vaguely.</p><p>Thrawn licked the shell of Eli's ear before pulling back. “I suspect one of us would have capitulated at some point, though perhaps not quite so dramatically as we just did,” he said.</p><p>Eli narrowed his eyes. “So… instead of coming to me and telling me how you felt about me, you decided to throw together some convoluted plan that involved taking advantage of the very <em>real</em> Sith threat, lying to and manipulating an Admiral, exploiting a Navigator, and rerouting the <em>Steadfast </em>from its patrol course so you could… what, feel secure enough to ask me how I <em>feel</em>?”</p><p>Thrawn was quiet for a few moments then said, “I do not believe the Sith to be the <em>most </em>pressing threat to the Asce—“</p><p>“Thrawn…” Eli sighed. “Just answer the damn question, please.”</p><p>“Very well, yes. That is the <em>overly </em>simplified version of events.”</p><p>Eli pushed Thrawn’s shoulder to press him back against the bed before straddling his waist. “Should I be worried that I just see your banthashit as weirdly romantic more than fucked up and manipulative?” he asked, looking down at Thrawn who merely gave him a pleased smirk in response. Eli stared wistfully at the ceiling and muttered to himself, “Wow, I really do deserve you, don’t I?”</p><p>“I certainly always thought so,” Thrawn said fondly. “And so does Admiral Ar’alani.”</p><p>Eli snorted and looked back down at Thrawn, pushing a stray lock of blue-black hair from his forehead. “Yeah, she didn’t mean that as a <em>good thing, </em>sweetheart,” he said wryly.  </p><p>Thrawn shrugged. “Perhaps.”</p><p>Eli breathed out a laugh. “Agreed,” he said before capturing Thrawn's lips in a kiss once more.</p>
<hr/><p>Thrawn passed Navigator Vah’nya on his way to his own quarters and called out for her to stop. She turned around but stared determinedly at the floor, her cheeks flushed an impressive shade of purple. Thrawn passed her the small blue electrode that had been monitoring Eli’s vitals while he checked his <em>personality</em> and said, “All is in order, Navigator. My conversation with Commander Eli'van'to was <em>most curative.</em>”</p><p>She nodded and hurried past him, murmuring “Thank you for the—I mean, yes. I'm glad you—Commander Eli—talking is um, good—Excuse me, sorry, late for a—I have to—Navigator things—sorry.”</p><p>Thrawn smirked inwardly and continued on… until he was stopped by a very, <em>very </em>stern voice from the hall down which Navigator Vah’nya had just fled.</p><p>“Mitth’raw’nuruodo! In my office, <em>now</em>!” Admiral Ar’alani snapped.</p><p>Thrawn froze mid-step.</p><p>
  <em>Fu’ch.</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Not pictured, Thrawn pleading with the Admiral to not call his brother *wink*</p><p>Also, I am not saying what happened, I'm just saying Vah'nya may have learned one or two important things about herself.</p><p>Anyway, this was a lot of fun to write, and I hope you enjoyed reading it! *fades to the tune of Lizzo's "Truth Hurts"*</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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